UN: Establish An International Environment Court, We Want To Sue Our Governments

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Nature is at stake in Bangladesh and many other countries due to unabated industrialisation and urbanisation by private enterprises and land grabbers as well as government bodies. Many countries are now suffering from severe air and water pollution, deforestation, river encroachment etc.

In some cases, green groups file public interest litigations alongside holding demonstrations on the streets against the harmful initiatives and plans.

But they’re ignored by the pro-business governments as well as theircourts. For example, the Bangladesh government has been implementing the 1320MW coal power plantatRampal, Bagerhat despite massive opposition from home and abroad who think the project would pollute the Sundarbans mangrove forest, it’s ecology, the rivers and canals and the land in the long run. Even the UNESCO and the RAMSAR expressed concerns.

Activists also filed PILs with the High Court. The court rejectedall the four petitions. Moreover, the government violated a stay order issued by the court four years back and continued land acquisition and filling of the low-lying land.

Activists have still been protesting against the move, but it seems that the governments of Bangladesh and India who are implementing the project jointly will not stop unless the UN, the UNEP or the UNFCCCintervenes.

The proposed international court will accept PILs against government projects, hold hearings and give orders.

Same thing happened with government promoting controversial GM brinjals patented by US seed giant Monsanto without conducting any lab test on its health impacts. Funded by the USAID, the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute’s farmers sold Bt Brinjals in local markets without labels, defying conditions, while is now eyeing to introduce GM cotton, rice, potato! In this case too, the court rejected three PILs filed seeking advanced research and lab tests.

Our Bangladesh government has failed to protect depletion of natural resources while the number of species facing extinction is increasing due to the greedy policymakers. This is alarming!

We are also concerned as the climate change funds are misappropriated and plundered by the lawmakers and their aides.

I think together we can force the global bodies to agree towards establishing the international environment court for the sake of future generations of the Planet Earth. The COP21 in Paris this year can take an initiative in this regard.